Combined water gauge and air volume control



Aug. 16, 1949. R.'J. MATTHEWS I 2,479,247

COMBINED WATER GAUGE AND AIR VOLUME UONTROL Filed May 15, 1946 g Sheets-S heet 1 'u US JMQZzze In val/tor Patented Aug. 16, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT E' GOMBINED WATER GAUGE AND AIR VGLUME CONTRQL Rufus J Matthews, Nashville, Tenn.

Applieifliollmy $5, 1946; SerialNm 679,066 4 Claims. (Chi 1034-6) This invention comprises novel anctuseiul immovements in a combined water gauge: and air volumecontrol and more explicitly pertains to. a water level regulating, means. for the pressure tank of a water pressure system.

Although not limited in utility thereto;, my improvement particularly relates to individual household Water pressure systems of the type wherein a jet pump draws water from a. well and stores it in a tank under pressure from air trapped therein, this compressed air serving. to supply the water to the. various points of use in a house, automatic. means controlling the pump to maintain the water under a predetermined maximum and minimum pressure in. said tank. Devices of this character are subject to the defeet that the pressure tank tends. todepart from the optimum proportionof air and water therein or the desired water leveL. Numerous. attempts to correct or obviate this defect have been made and devices are now available on. the open market for supplying additional air to the pressure tank when the water level isv too high. These devices and said prior attempts have generally been unsatisfactory for the reason that they possessed too many wearing. parts, were not durable or efilcient in their operation or were too expensive.

The primary object of this invention. is therefore to provide a device which is not subject to the above mentioned deficiencies or the prior art.

A very important object of the invention is to develop an apparatus for the foregoing purpose, which will visually indicate the existing water level ina pressure tank.

Another important object of the invention. is to. formulate a mechanism in accordance with the aforesaid objects, whereby the operativeness of the construction may be visually observed and verified.

An additional purpose or my invention resides in. the construction of means'con-forming to the purposes mentioned above, wherein the operat- 2. I air is: drawn. into the device when the: pump is operating 311 61118 ejected into the tank when, the

isstnpped These, together with various ancillary objects or the inventiom. to become later apparent as the. ensuing: description proceeds are realized. by the invention, one embodiment only of has been illustrated by way or example.- inwthe aznhexed drawings, wherein:

Figure l; is verticar sectional view through the attachment forming a part. or my parts being broken. away;

Figure 2 is a side'- el'evation ofmy' attachment; Figure 3 is: a front elevation of the form'- ing a Dark oftlre invention, and I v Figure: t is an elevation perspective at a complete operative: unit embodying the invention. Specificv reference is. now made to Figure s or the: drawings in which f0 designates: a. water pressure tank, to which a delivery conduit it establishes communication: with the discharge side of a pump. casing l4, mounted upon. the cap $6 01 a well, shown. The pump illustrated or the well known centrifugalpump and jet a suitable electric: motor Flt powering: the pump and being. controlled by a pressure operating switch indicated at 20. so far disclosed, this is a common and conventionar type of pump pressure system, wherein, when the: consumer demand lowers the tank pressure below a predetermined minimum, the switch -20 is actuated to energize the motor I 8 untii the pump M has restored the pressure to a desired maximum' It is understood by those: skilled in this art, that a tank of anat atmospheric pressure is supplied with water, compressing the entrapped air until a predeternimed maximum pressure is attained. When delivery or water lowered the pressure by allowing the entrapped air to expand, until; the predetermined minimum pressure is reached, a. certain fixed, desirable water level in the tank is attained. I

At a suitable elevation above this water level, I attach. a fitting, 22 in which audio at lower can 21 is mounted a vertically extending transparent tube 26-, connected by conduit 28 with the intake or suction side of the pump housin [4. These 7 and connections, illustrated more clearly previousl y setfortlr objects, wherein atmospheric as.

in. Figure 1, form. the substance-of my improved device. The transparent tube. 26 is or otherwise secured in fluid tight engagementin aligned bores- 30 32 in the fitting and caplespectiveiy. A screw threaded "end 34 for ene gagement. with tank N is Provided the fitting and a restricted passage 36 communicating with the tank interior extends therethrough into a vertical bore 38 which receives the screw threaded tubular end of a conventional pressure gauge 40. A conduit 42, establishing connection between the chamber 38 and 36 is in constant communication with an air valve chamber 44 by means of a passage 46. Loosely received for free reciprocation in chamber 44 is an inverted cupshaped valve member 48, having a fibre, leather or rubber like seating member 50 socketed therein and an axially extending guide stem 52, freely movable in the confines of a guide recess 54 and a closure plu 56. The valve member 56 is adapted to releasably seat and seal the upper end of a bore 58 admitting atmospheric air into the chamber 44*. The lower end of the tube 26 is seated in sealing engagement upon a resilient disk 60 of rubber,

. 28, before sufficient vacuum is created in 26 and fibre or the like, tightly seated at the lower'end of bore 32 of cap 24, an axial opening 62 extending through the disk 60 to connect the tube 26 to the conduit 28. Freely disposed in the transparent tube 26 is a cylindrical float 64 having a conical valve seat 66 at its lower end for sealing the opening 62 when the valve is in its lowermost position. At 68, I have indicated the desired minimum pressure water level.

The operation of the device is as follows. When for any reason the tank has too little air present for optimum operation, and the water level at the time of minimum pressure is disposed above the fitting 22, the tube 26 will be full of water and the float '64 will be at the top, visually indicating and evidencing this undersirable condition to the operator. When the pump is now automatically operated to restore the pressure to the desired maximum, the line 28 to the suction side of the pump withdraws water from the tube 26 causing the float to fall until the valve 66 seats upon and closes the bore 62. This action is visible to the operator and constitutes a positive indication that the device is functioning normally to correct the previously indicated detrimental condition of the water level. The aforementioned evacuation of the water from tube 26 produces a partial vacuum communicated to bores 42, 36 and 46. As tube 36 is covered by the abnormally high water level in tank II], it tends to draw in water; but the restricted area prevents sufficient rate of admission to relieve the vacuum, and consequently the valve 48 is unseated and atmospheric air fills the chamber 44 and tube 26, with a charge of air. When the pump is cut off by switch 26 upon the obtaining of the predetermined maximum pressure, suction ceases upon conduit 28 and the pressure at the discharge and inlet side of the pump becomes equal in the manner conventional with centrifugal and other water pumps. The water therefore rises in conduit 28 unseating and lifting the float valve and rising in the tube 26 to the same level as in tank I6, expelling or ejecting'the trapped air charge through passages 42 and 36 into the tank Ill. The air contained within the tank is thus augmented by the volume of the atmospheric air thus entrapped, thereby proportionately displacing water from the tank and correspondingly lowering the water level towards the desired elevation. This operation is repeated, each time the pump is operated while the water level is above the level of fitting 22 at the period of minimum pressure. When the minimum pressure water level falls below the elevation of fitting 22, said level will be visible in the transparent tube 26. The float 64 will now not be at the top 44 to open valve 46 and induct atmospheric air.

Upon attainment of the desired level 66, there is sufficient air in 26 to expand to prevent the establishment of a vacuum in 44 capable of opening valve 48, thus preventing entry of outside air. When operating at the desired air-water ratio, the float will move between its bottom position and the level 68 thus visually indicating the normal operation of the device.

Although I have relied upon gravity to seat the air check valve 46, it will be understood that in certain situations and in certain positions of the valve, I may substitute a spring means to perform this function.

By the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have eliminated all moving parts except the valves 66 and 48, thus obviating the possibility of impairment of the control function by corrosion of springs by the water, breakage of diaphragms and the like. The two moving parts are simple, rugged and efiicient and the device not only functions to regulate but provides a visual indication of its own operativeness as well as of the existing water level.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combinatiom'a wate pressure tank, a water pump having its discharge side connected to said tank, an L-shaped fitting comprising a body with a lateral, screw threaded, integral extension engaging said tank and a portion depending therefrom, a bore extending into the lower side of said depending portion, a first conduit comprising a straight unobstructed passage of uniform cross section extending through said lateral extension and communicating with the interior of said tank, a second conduit inclined to and connecting said bore with said first conduit, a chamber in said fitting having a closure plug therefor, a third conduit horizontally extending and connecting said chamber with the atmosphere and a fourth conduit connecting said chamber with the second conduit, a normally closed suction operated valve in said chamber controlling communication between said third and fourth conduits, said plug having a recess and said suction valve having a stem slidable in said recess, a transparent sight tube connected with and depending from said bore, a float freely slidable in said tube and having a valve on its lower end, a valve seat at the lower end of said tube controllable by said float valve and a passage connecting said valve seat with the intake side of said pump.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first'conduit, said second conduit and said bore are of progressively increasing cross sectional area.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said suction operated valve is adapted to control the end of said third conduit. 7 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein a second bore opens inwardly from the upper side of said body, a pressure gauge attached to said second bore, said bore being interposed between and communicating with said first and second conduits.

file of this patent: 2,421,237

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Howard' Aug. 2, 1887 Weatherhead et al. Oct. 17, 1916 Burks Sept. 5, 1939 Brady Dec. 12, 1939 Kent Apr. 14, 1942 Bergh May 27, 1947 

